Greater of Evils
by Vampcoffee
Summary: Power and skill come naturally to the Chosen One. His only weakness, the one thing he's had to fight for, love, forces him to make a gamble with the galaxy.
1. Chapter 1

A smoky, blackened sky swirled above a glowing ocean of magma, Mustafar's fiery peaks rising in the distance. The volcanic world burned angrily, ashen wind howling passed the hard-edged refining facility where a lone individual stood. He was cloaked with arms folded, staring out at the boiling sea of molten red as a single tear struck down the side of his face. His robe was tugged by the blistering hot air which reeked of seared flesh, an acrid smell of death that wafted outward from the control room behind him. Droids and guards lay dead on the grated floor along with viceroys who had outlived their usefulness.

Anakin waited on the balcony of this unforgiving outpost and looked up at the unnaturally dark clouds that loomed overhead, smoke and ash threatening to choke out the sun. A shape formed through the shroud of greyish-black, approaching the landing area at an exceptional rate. On closer inspection Anakin realized it was Padmé's ship, much to his surprise. He turned to run from the balcony and toward the landing pad, rivers of molten rock churning in the distance. After climbing a short set of stairs, Anakin could see the loading ramp touching down. He pulled the large and dark hood away from his head as Padmé descended from her ship. He ran to her and she ran to him, arms outstretched before wrapping tightly in a loving embrace.

There was a silence between them briefly as they connected without words. Finally Anakin pulled away from her gently and spoke. "Padmé, what are you doing here?" he asked, his eyes searching hers.

"I had to find you. I was so worried." The young wife and mother was panting, nearly out of breath but forcing herself to continue. "Obi-wan told me terrible things. He said-"

"I told to you wait on Corusant." Anakin rubbed Padmé's head softly, soothing her. "I'm almost done setting things right."

"Anakin... killing Jedi?" Her breath continued to be strained by worry, the ache of her pregnancy and the hellish heat of Mustafar. "Turning on your friends? Is that what is right to you?"

Anakin caressed his wife and spoke calmly while jets of liquid metal erupted in the background. "It's all for you Padmé. You have to trust me."

Padmé's eyes widened. "How can I Anakin?" she asked, her voice nearly raising into a shout. "How can I know you won't betray me?" she concluded in a softer tone.

"I did what I had to in pursuit of my new powers." Anakin wasn't flustered in the slightest. His only task was convincing his wife. "I had to have them to save you."

"Yes but at what cost?" she asked the newly forged Sith, pleading in her voice. "Is the fate of the galaxy worth one life?" Tears welled in her eyes, unable to accept that Anakin had done such evil things in her name.

Anakin smiled darkly. "Yes, Padmé," he breathed. "Yours."

Padmé gasped and her mouth hung open. "I- don't know what… to say," she uttered, her voice trailing after her thoughts. She closed her eyes, forcing out old tears while holding back new ones. "I should be flattered but I'm only more frightened." Padmé tugged on the rough leather tabards of Anakin's outfit, pulling him closer and looking up at him, desperate. "Please, stop while you still can Anakin. We were going to Naboo remember? For our baby..." Before Padmé could finish her thought she noticed that Anakin was looking back at her ship, suddenly focused on something else.

"Obi-Wan," he mouthed.

Padmé shook her head, confused. "What? Ani, what are you…"

"He's here," Anakin said, his voice now a dreadful growl. His corrupted eyes cut back to Padmé. "Did you bring him to kill me?"

"No, I would never do that. I love you!" Padmé insisted. She turned to look in the same direction her husband was looking only to form a face completely stricken by shock. Obi-wan Kenobi was standing at the top of the ramp leading into her ship, just as Anakin had said.

Anakin's gaze sharpened, suddenly doubting how true that was. There were more pressing matters, however. "Get behind me," he commanded Padmé while stepping forward.

"Really Anakin, it's you she should fear," Master Kenobi stated before walking down the ramp and onto the landing, sandy robes swirled about his arms and legs as he moved to face Anakin.

Darth Vader glared at his former master. "Have you come to submit to my new empire?" he roared over the crashing waves of slag burning in the pits that surrounded their location.

"Your new empire?" Obi-wan repeated, appalled by the mention of such an idea. "Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy!" the master screamed passionately as if volume would change Anakin's mind.

"The Republic is no more," Vader uttered finally before removing his near-black robe. "Soon the same will be true of the Jedi."

"No, Anakin, listen to what he is saying!" Padmé tried quelling the temper of her husband but it was far too late for that. "Please, you two don't have to fight."

"I love you, but I cannot allow you to proceed on this course any longer," the master spoke, resigned to his current situation. He knew what came next and he knew what had to be done.

Lord Vader took his lightsaber into his hand and activated it, a brilliant blue blade screeching forth. "Don't make me kill you, Obi-wan."

Obi-wan looked at Padmé and sighed. "Oh Anakin," he said while taking off his own robe which caught on the blazing wind as he reached for his weapon as well. "The feeling is mutual."

"Anakin what happened you?" Padmé screamed again, starting to lose her voice from all the shouting not to mention the hot, dry air of the volcano planet. "Why are you doing this?"

Anakin did not respond. Instead he kept his gaze fixed on Obi-wan who stood across from him, igniting his saber and bringing it up to his chest.

"Look at me!" Padmé demanded with a hoarse voice, glaring up at Anakin and unfazed by him and his 'power'. So much so that after her husband ignored her yet again she flattened her hand and slapped him right across the face. A burning red streak flared on the Sith Lord's cheek and Darth Vader swayed to the side from the strike. His eyes flicked to meet hers, vivid pupils glowing like a mirror of the rage which this planet embodied. Anakin's emotions called on the Force in return and pushed Padmé to the ground without a conscious thought, without an outward gesture. The ease with which he used the Force on her came at a shock but there were more threatening things at that moment, like Obi-Wan.

Padmé laid on the platform, too weak to get back up while Darth Vader walked forward, toward Obi-wan who exhaled slowly, calming himself and drawing on the Living Force for strength. This is exactly what Anakin didn't want: a long and drawn out duel with his former master. Of all the people in the galaxy to have a conflict with, this Obi-wan was the only one who he truly worried about; the only one who would haunt him long after the deed was done.

He could now kill anyone, on any world without a second thought, but Obi-wan had loved him and trained him. For all the times he held Anakin back, for all the times he lectured Anakin, it was always out of care, compassion, and brotherhood, something he never had with anyone else. Now their ideals conflicted in the most uncompromising way. As Anakin grew closer to Obi-wan he could see small burned spots on his brown and ivory robes. Darth Vader began to lose himself in the Force, calling a storm around his body. Subtle at first, the waves of Force grew stronger and more numerous, knocking Kenobi backwards and forcing Padmé to crouch to avoid falling. The Force whirled around Darth Vader and Padmé's glossy, silver ship was swept up, tumbling and crashing on the landing before falling over into the brimstone sea.

"The Republic can be salvaged Anakin! I can stop Palpatine with your help!" Obi-wan plead while enduring the Force storm but found no audience in Darth Vader who only raised his own lightsaber and continued to close the distance between them. "Come back to the Jedi. We need you!"

"I know how to save Padmé..." Anakin announced proudly. "You are of no more use to me."

Darth Vader dashed forward, sped by the dark side towards Obi-wan who he proceeded to attack viciously. The Jedi master reeled away from the Sith Lord, overwhelmed by the Dark Side's violent onslaught. Anakin poured his offense upon Obi-wan, flipping his blade and holding nothing back, each blow coming within inches of its target.

Padmé cried in pain as they fought, entering the final stage of her pregnancy right there on the metal landing. The sound caused Vader to hasten. The quicker the obstacle of Kenobi was removed, the sooner Padmé would be in a safe place for her and the baby. Obi-wan was visibly tired, battered and sweaty and defeated. His actions had slowed and he had taken two glancing cuts, a sign of overall fatigue.

What could be done at this point? The Dark Side energized Anakin to an unmatchable degree. There was no hope for Master Kenobi, the Jedi, or the Republic. When Darth Vader's ironically blue saber carved into his leg, Obi-wan knew all was lost. Padmé wailed even louder while Kenobi lurched forward, falling to one knee and pain causing him to drop his weapon.

"I am more powerful than any Jedi could ever dream of," Darth Vader boasted as the silvery hilt clattered away from the Jedi who strained to get to his feet, despite the lightsaber wounds all over his body.

"Strength without wisdom will be your end," Obi-wan rasped as Darth Vader looked down on him. The corruption was seething in Darth Vader's eyes and there was a measure of dark satisfaction in watching Obi-wan struggle. The Sith Lord lowered to pick up Obi-wan's lightsaber, taking the weapon for himself.

"I have failed you, Anakin," Obi-wan admitted seconds before Vader's blade flashed in a wide arc upwards. The final blow: a deep slash through the chest.

"Farewell," Darth Vader muttered to the dead form while retracting his lightsaber and returning it to his belt. He turned on his heel and quickly ran to pick Padmé from the ground. He carried his wife to his personal yellow starfighter and set her down before sending a message to his clones.

"Rex, send a starship to Mustafar," Anakin spoke into the communication system inside his fighter.

"Anakin...," Padmé moaned from her position in the cockpit of Anakin's fighter. Her entire body hurt from contractions and despite the absolute insanity concerning her husband, she needed comforting from someone. It wasn't like she could just up and leave, run away from him and never look back. She had no vehicle and was expecting a baby within the hour, not to mention how he would react.

Oddly, despite the recent turmoil, they held hands while he stood on the landing beside her, watching her and instantly becoming at ease. At times his actions ate at him but looking at Padmé made those feelings vanish entirely. As long as he had her, nothing else mattered. A gunship lowered from the atmosphere and onto the scorched platform where four troopers dismounted to inspect the body of Kenobi.

"He's dead," Anakin declared while he picked up Padmé in his arms once more and carried her to the ship as she whined from the pain their child caused.

"Lord Vader," the ranking clonetrooper greeted, side-stepping to get out of the Sith Lord's path.

"Get us to the main ship," Vader commanded before ducking his head to enter the gunship.

"Right away, sir." The clone ordered his subordinates onto the gunship before getting on himself, proceeded by the Sith who carried his love. Darth Vader boarded and stood at the center of the ship, cradling Padmé as she whined, unwilling to set her down, unable to be separate from her.

Within moments an enormous, Cruiser-class vessel could be seen hovering in low orbit. The transport flew into space, leaving the burning red planet behind to dock with the destroyer. Darth Vader strode off of the shuttle and into the hangar of the much larger ship, immediately turning for the medical hall with Padmé still in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Four troopers flanked him, two on either side as he stalked through the glossy interior hallways, Vader not bothering to dismiss them, his mind completely absorbed with his wife. Clear bay doors slid open upon his arrival and two nurses watched while he gently placed Padmé on a soft, white bed. They followed Anakin just as the soldiers did, watching Padmé. She was safe now, completely protected, albeit by the forces of evil. A Sith Lord, his legion of stormtroopers and their equipment. She was precariously protected yet her face still tore with pain, her pregnancy threatening to take her life as Anakin had foreseen.

"Anakin...," Padmé cried and reached a tender hand up toward her husband, her pale skin contrasting starkly with the rough black leather of his outfit. Darth Vader immediately knew what was happening and hurried to take off his robe, preparing to do his best with what Sidious had shown him.

"Troopers, leave me. Tell Rex to jump to Naboo immediately," he commanded and the troops quickly turned to exit the medbay while the nurse tried getting close to the soon-to-be mother only to be waved away by Darth Vader.

"It hurts... Anakin!" Padmé cried out to her husband and held onto his hand tightly. "Anakin, help me!"

"Be still, Padmé," Darth Vader spoke while closing his eyes and opening his hand. He reached into the Force. Suddenly the vision he had seen reappeared in his mind. He saw Padmé's death. He saw his greatest fear. This time however, Anakin was prepared. The vision played just as it had a few days ago until being repelled by Darth Vader. To his horror the image returned and replayed the vision of death. Darth Vader's face twisted, fear becoming anger, anger becoming power. With the Dark Side as his weapon Anakin attacked the vision, rejected the future, and finally undid the fate he could not bear.

Padmé's cries of agony lingered in his mind, echoing hauntingly before fading like smoke into the infinite ether of the Force. Anakin's eyes opened slowly to meet Padmé's, her countenance speaking of cautious satisfaction. Whatever evil Anakin was a part of, she couldn't deny it was effective. The pain was gone, Anakin could tell by the way she held her stomach now. He smiled for the first time since they reunited on Mustafar, a pleasant sight amidst the storm of unacceptable and unexplained, the moment did not last however, for Anakin stepped away so the nurse could go to work, coaching Padmé as she labored.

The Sith warrior folded his arms and stared intently at the event happening before him, obviously making the nurse nervous, prepared to kill her if she made the slightest error, despite knowing nothing about delivering a child. Padmé pushed and of course cried, sweating and squirming while an infant human form appeared.

"Medic," Anakin called and caused the nurse to turn to face him.

"She's fine sir," the nurse managed to speak rather confidently despite the incredible fear she held of him. There was a moment of calm and in that time the woman wiped the male child of afterbirth and wrapped it before setting him aside. A moment later Padmé arched her back and began to make the same cries as before. They returned to her and quickly realized there was another child.

"It's twins, sir." To which Anakin did not react. He did not yet have an attachment to his children so the news meant virtually nothing. Instead he maintained his stance in the Force, keeping a hold on the flow of events, commanding that it not stray from his desire while Padmé birthed their second child. Though he had beaten the vision, Anakin obsessed, straining his talents and making absolutely sure nothing deviated from the fate he had rewritten. The nurse applied the same steps to the second child, a girl, before setting the children next to their mother on the bed.

Once the nurse left, Anakin took her place beside Padmé, faint white light washing over the both of them. "Tell me what you feel, Padmé," he spoke softly.

Padmé smiled weakly. "I'm alive," she said, sweat spotting her forehead. "Your power worked."

"Now you see," Anakin began. "That was the moment from my dream."

"You kept your promise," Padmé breathed, exhaustion in her voice. She looked up at Anakin, disheveled and yet still glamorous somehow. "What happens now?"

"We will be landing on Naboo soon. I will stay until you and the children are settled at the lake house." Anakin stroked Padmé's head tenderly and looked on her with caring eyes. "Then I must regroup with my Master."

Padmé was silent then. In all the exceptions she was making for Anakin there was still the ugly truth beneath it all, he was on the Dark Side. Not only that but a supporter of the new 'Empire' something that had crushed her when she first heard the word spoken. Anakin still loved her and she loved him, some way, somehow throughout all the awful things Anakin had done and planned to do. Partially because there weren't any other options but part of her still genuinely loved him.

There was good in him, there was determination and strength; everything that made him attractive remained, it was just coated in a shell of darkness and sin. Also Padmé knew that no matter how far Anakin fell, there was absolutely nothing in the galaxy that would make him hurt her. She would never, ever have to endure his wrath, she would always be on his good side so despite his evils, he was still good if only to her. As much as she hated to think that way and accept what Anakin had done she was having less and less problem with her husband being a Sith.

They held gazes as long as Padmé could stand, eventually falling asleep from the fatigue of labor while the cruiser zipped through hyperspace. Later it dropped into the lower atmosphere of Naboo. "We've arrived, my Lord," Rex announced after joining Darth Vader in the medical wing.

"Carry my children and follow me," Anakin ordered, waiting for the clone leader to take a wrapped infant in each arm before leaving the medical hall for the hangar bay.

"To the surface," Anakin said aloud and four clone pilots ran to their ships. He chose the nearest shuttle and entered with Rex and five troops behind him before speaking to the pilot.

"There's a lakehouse at these coordinates." The pilot nodded and followed the points to the secret lake house where Anakin and Padmé were first married. Once the shuttle landed on Naboo, Anakin ordered his troops forward first while he and Rex followed as they were carrying soft targets and couldn't reach their weapons quickly.

Darth Vader exited the gunship and looked around, absorbing the lush scenery surrounding the estate. A glittering lake rested to his right while a thriving garden gleamed from his left. There wasn't a single cloud in the clear blue sky and all was well for the Dark Lord and his troops. They walked down the polished pathway leading to the house in a makeshift formation, a squad of Senate guards walking towards them. Anakin glared as his clones approached the other group, which was led by a dark-skinned man with an eye-patch and a reddish uniform.

"Padmé!" the serviceman called upon seeing the sleeping princess in Anakin's arms. "Anakin," he spoke while nodding, four similarly dressed men and women lining up behind him. "I expected she would return here after what happened to the Senate."

"Captain Typho," Darth Vader uttered while cradling his wife closer. "The Senate is being restructured. Your security services are no longer necessary."

The lead guard stepped forward. "With all due respect Jedi Skywalker, Amidala is my responsibility." He looked passed the row of stormtroopers, directly at Anakin. "Release her."

"Enough!" Darth Vader shouted, a slash of anger within otherwise serene setting. "As a lord of the new Empire, you are relieved," he proclaimed as the sun beamed overhead and birds chirped lively.

Clone soldiers raised their weapons and fired on the Senate Security Council. Captain Typho quickly drew his blaster pistol to defend himself, caught off guard but unwilling to simply lay down and die. Blasterfire erupted between the clones and the guards and Darth Vader turned around, crouching to keep Padmé away from the shooting. A fray of blistering laserlight flashed behind him accompanied by shouting and the sounds of weapons and bodies hitting the ground.

When the sounds of battle ceased, Darth Vader stood to see the last Senate guard being executed. A pair of clones had fallen in the skirmish but otherwise they had protected Anakin and Padmé well. The remaining troops followed and stood on either side of the ornate glass doors while Anakin and Rex entered the old house. Anakin walked in slowly and looked around, quickly becoming familiar with the house through the Force. With only a thought the lights flicked which caused Padmé to blink awake finally.

"We're home," Anakin said while carrying her up the stairs and towards the bedroom.

Padmé mumbled, tiredly. "Ani- the children…"

"They're with Rex, he's right behind me." Padmé wasn't exactly comfortable with a faceless clone soldier holding her kids but again, what options did she have? Though dark and twisted, Anakin seemed to have it all together, his plans all worked just as he said. She could feel herself becoming less and less opposed to her husband.

She hadn't actually seen him do anything truly evil besides kill obi-wan and that well... besides that, she couldn't see anything about him she would call evil. He cared for her, protected her, loved her just as he always had. Anakin hadn't become a monster had he? Anakin set her on the bed so she was sitting up slightly and placed the children beside her after Rex handed them to him.

"Wait at the gunship for further instruction," Anakin commanded then turned to his new family while Rex followed orders, exiting quickly and quietly.

"Padmé," he called her name softly. "Yes?" her voice was barely a whisper.

"You're so beautiful." Anakin breathed his soul into the statement. "Especially with your children."

"Our children, Anakin," Padmé corrected him. "You saved them."

"I saved you Padmé, I had to. Nothing in the entire galaxy matters more."

"What about your master, the new emperor?" Padmé brought up with disdain in her voice.

"Through him I will become more powerful in order to protect you and serve the Empire."

"Anakin, what more power do you need? What I saw- on mustafar... it was disturbing."

"Please Padmé, believe that I will never hurt you," Anakin held his wife's hand. "The stronger I am, the more capable I am of protecting you."

Padmé's eyes drifted away. "Ani... sometimes I love you, sometimes you scare me."

"I was wrong before but that is behind us now," Anakin said, urging his wife to move on with him. "Only those unwilling to acknowledge the Empire need fear me."

"Enough about the Empire, okay?" Her gaze returned to her husband.

Anakin glared. What did she mean, 'enough about the empire'? Sure she was a senator of the former Republic but that was no reason to dislike the Empire. Ever wanting to please his wife, Anakin let it go and tried to let his own irritation at the notion pass.

"As you wish, Padmé," Anakin resigned and walked away toward the large window which overlooked the glistening lake. He thought to himself before speaking to his wife, still looking out the window through sheer curtains.

"Have you thought of their names?"

"Mhmm." Anakin turned slowly but soon enough to see Padmé touch the head of the first born child.

"Luke," she whispered before moving to gently touch the girl.

"Leia." Anakin turned around and walked back to the bed, looking first to his wife then to his two infant children whom drew closer to him when he kneeled beside the bed.

"Hello Luke. Hello Leia." Anakin smiled faintly. "I am your father, Anakin Skywalker." He was a father, something to be proud of and something he risked everything for to ensure came true. Padmé spoke up then with something serious on her mind.

"Ani. I don't want our children to be any part of the Empire, your army or any of that," she said taking her turn at giving directions for a change. Anakin's face deadened, the joy essentially erased by her assertion. He hadn't even thought of that until now but didn't want to rule it out completely or make a promise he had to keep. Instead he simply did not respond, standing instead in preparation to leave.

"I should be seeing the Emperor now," he said while straightening the sleeves on his robe. "There is a conflict in the Force." Anakin looked around to make sure everything was fine before he left. "Troops will be outside if you need anything." He turned and headed for the door.

"I love you, Padmé," Anakin spoke in the middle of leaving, not glancing back. Soon he was downstairs and outside.

Padmé's facade broke then and showed her true worry. "I want to say the same for him," she spoke to her two babies.


	3. Chapter 3

Anakin landed in the gunship just outside the Senate building on Corusant and dismounted, towering skyscrapers reflecting the light shine of several stars. He moved briskly over from the slate metal of the landing area to the elaborate scarlet pillars and carpet of the government building where he arrived first at Palpatine's chamber.

Two Red Guards laid incapacitated, sprawled about the ground with their gloss-black spears laying uselessly on the floor. Anakin knelt beside the nearest guard, who's candy-red robes crumpled under his prone form like blood. With a hand gesture, Darth Vader used the Force to revive him.

"Huh? Oh- Lord Vader," the masked guard stumbled verbally.

Anakin spoke urgently. "Quickly, where is the Emperor?"

"The Senate globe," the guard informed while getting to his feet.

Anakin stood and walked through the chamber, to the lift which eventually got him to the massive spherical theater where the senate met. There was damage from lightning and Force blasts all around as he ran forward, searching the destruction for his master. Finally he found him, drawn by the strained cries as the elderly Sith Lord pulled himself up onto the center pod.

"Master," Darth Vader uttered as the platform lowered to the center of the floor, hundreds of similar platforms lining the domed walls.

"Darth Vader," the Emperor spoke, his voice unnaturally deep and coarse. "You would have been useful a moment ago."

Anakin watched his master descend from the pod, black robes nearly obscuring his every feature. "What happened?"

"Grand Master Yoda," the Sith Lord replied.

Darth Vader scowled at the mention. "Is he dead?" he asked while walking toward his dark master.

"No. We are stalemated, he and I." Emperor Palpatine looked up briefly, orange-red eyes burning in the shadow of his hood. "Too alike, too powerful in the Force for one of us to be conquered by the other," the old Sith mused before continuing with pertinent information.

"He escaped along with a few of the last still fighting for the Republic and the Order," Darth Sidious said, turning to look at Darth Vader. "Speaking of the Order, what of your friend Obi-wan?"

Anakin exhaled coolly. "Obi-wan is dead."

"Good. I was concerned your old teachings would interfere," Darth Sidious spoke while stalking the corridors which lead back to his office. "Now there is only one person standing in the way of your power."

Anakin followed Palpatine as he walked, a puzzle forming on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"Padme," the Emperor uttered darkly.

Darth Vader gritted his teeth. "Do not speak of her."

"She weakens you," the Emperor groaned.

"Do not speak of her!" Darth Vader yelled at his dark master.

"Anger is the source of your strength, Lord Vader," Sidious continued, unfazed. "Your love for her is only a hindrance."

"She is none of your concern," Anakin declared before activating both his and Obi-wan's lightsabers. He dashed forward angrily and was prepared to slice Palpatine in four until said Emperor raised a thin hand and fired a chaotic surge of Force lightning. Glowing blue arcs tore into Anakin who instantly reeled away from his master and roared with agony. The lightning stormed over every inch of Anakin and filled the room with deafening noise and erratic flashes of light.

Whilst writhing, he dropped his lightsabers and curled in agony. The Sith apprentice crawled backward as best he could, his back against the floor, screaming and twisting for what seemed to be days until the attack ceased. Anakin labored for air and wandered the ceiling with his eyes, unable to think through the pain.

"You will strike me down apprentice, but not this day," Palpatine stated, his face having not changed once through the whole ordeal. "You have only felt the emanations of the Dark Side of which you will need the innermost core in order to surpass myself." He grinned slightly at the thought of his having such a powerful servant before letting the typical scowl return. "Until then you will be content with releasing your anger on the Empire's enemies," he said while turning and walking back towards his desk.

Anakin scowled with an immense rage that he had no choice but to stifle in the presence of his master. He glared and wanted to charge Palpatine again, knowing he would be, at best repelled and at worst, incinerated. A smoldering robe fell around Lord Vader's body as he picked himself from the floor, wisps of smoke rising gently from holes the lightning had burned. After accepting his place, for now, Anakin raised himself into a kneeling position and hung is head submissively.

"What is thy bidding my master?" he growled out with a rasped voice as if it hurt to speak.

"First you will arm yourself with weaponry fitting of a Sith," Sidious said before turning to look at Anakin and tossing two reddish focusing crystals to his apprentice. "Then you will track down Yoda and kill him along with everyone in his company," the Emperor growled with anticipation while Anakin kneeled, glaring up at his master, anger causing his face to twist and the Force to boil around him. Sidious sensed this and it only made him grin wickedly.

"As you wish." The Sith apprentice stood finally and his burned robe fell around him while he retrieved both his lightsabers and the crystals from the floor with the Force and idled before Palpatine in his office for a moment. There was only silence until Darth Vader spun to leave on his newest assignment. He was already into the hallway, planning his next actions, when Sidious called to him.

"Do not allow your family to interfere with your service to me," the lord gave his command, laced with implications.

Darth Vader stopped short and looked to the side a bit, not over his shoulder but enough to show defiance. He quickly put the comment to the back of his mind and resumed down the hall, pulling his hood up and disappearing in the darkness.

He returned to the landing outside the Senate building with dark robes flowing at his purposeful movement. Rex was waiting with his troops and his gunship and when Anakin boarded they made for the destroyer once again. Aboard the cruiser Anakin retired to a secluded chamber where he could be alone with his thoughts.

He closed his eyes and searched the Force. First he saw Padme and his children resting on peacefully on Naboo. It was a calming vision, his necessary constant that made everything worth the pain and trouble he endured on his various tasks. This included the killing of Obi-Wan which he saw next. Anakin exhaled slowly and stayed with the thought as opposed to pushing it away as he would have any other time. It was something he needed to face. It was something he needed to make peace with, despite his new outlook on life and the Force. Passion was his strength now, freedom to make the world as he wanted.

Sidious would tell him to revel in the pain it caused but Obi-wan had loved him. As much as Darth Vader wanted to isolate the feeling and use it to fuel his power, Anakin was stuck with remorse. It was the only action that he actually regretted. Not the slaying of sand-people, not the murder of younglings, nothing he had done bothered him like the death of his old master. The more he meditated on the subject, the more he came to grips with the fact that he had to lose either Obi-Wan or Padme.

Obi-Wan represented solitude, selflessness, purity, freedom of personal pursuits and devotion to service of the Republic. Padme was his love, both a wholesome and selfish desire. She, herself, was not evil, but to have her Anakin had allowed himself to be corrupted. It was both a caring and selfish gamble that he would likely make again in the same situation. His choices were to either stay with the Jedi and let Padme die, or go to the Dark Side in order to save her. Of those, he had chosen the greater of two evils. He could only thank the Force that the gamble had paid off and he acquired the prize he sought. From trying to accept Obi-Wan's death, Darth Vader moved on to looking for Yoda. Through the Force Anakin could sense the old master, teetering on the brink of life.

The signature Yoda now carried was distinct but faint. Anakin could hardly feel it but managed to gather a general location. It wasn't exact but it would do for now. A search with the ships equipment could do the rest. Anakin gradually left the vastness of the Force and returned to the chamber he was using to meditate, slowly opening his eyes while seated with his legs folded. His heart rate also returned to normal as he came out of deep thought, his mind going to his assignment, his troops, and his master. Anakin lingered there for a moment then stood urgently and headed for the bridge.

"General," Rex greeted Anakin as he entered the command center. A myriad of star glittered just outside the viewport, on either side of which were a collection of digital screens. The displays washed the slate metal of the bridge with a blueish glow as Darth Vader walked toward the holomap.

"Scan the space here, for a ship heading away from Corusant." Anakin ordered while pointing to the desired area, his hand guided by the Force. "Eliminate the official lanes."

A clone technician quickly began the search by isolating the sector Anakin wanted to search.

"It's a medium sized ship, something larger than a fighter," Anakin specified.

Rex took a look at the scan results. "There, a Republic cruiser," the clone noticed and then looked to Darth Vader. "I'm guessing they don't plan on switching over."

"Guessed right," Anakin replied shortly. "Jump to Mustafar," he commanded then turned to leave.

"Right away, sir," Rex agreed and watched the dark lord walk away. He called after him. "Shall I destroy your target in the meanwhile?"

"No," Darth Vader rejected while pulling the hood of his scorched robe over his head. "Convene with the Emperor's fleet once I am gone."

Gunship doors slid open and Anakin was instantly flooded with the wretched oppression that was Mustafar. An ocean of fire raged beneath a sky of ash as the transport lowered, cloned soldiers keeping a watchful eye out for enemies of the Empire. The ship found a steady hover over the landing area where he reunited with Padme and he stepped out of the craft, dark boots touching down on charred metal. With a wave of his hand Darth Vader dismissed the transport, looking at the body of Obi-wan as the gunship rose into the air behind him. Jets fired in the distance and then gradually faded while the dead Jedi still laid sprawled about the hard slate ground.

Standing there, amidst the smoke and flame Darth Vader pulled out the pair crystals that Darth Sidious had given him. They glinted darkly in fiery light given off the boiling lava. Anakin took his lightsaber and replaced the blue crystal he had used ever since he was young with a deep crimson gem. Afterward he took Obi-wan's lightsaber and opened, replacing that blue crystal with the other crystal that the Emperor had given him which shone with a bloody orange color.

Darth Vader tossed the other old crystals aside and activated both of his lightsabers. A pair of reddish blades sprung forth, one in each hand and Darth Vader felt new power surging throughout his body. He angled his head back and screamed at the black sky, lava and fire erupting around him, scorching the air above. The Force quaked violently and bestowed new strength to the Sith Lord. Finally he powered off his newly forged weapons, feeling more powerful than ever. He felt as though he could command the elements of this burning planet. The heat and fire of Mustafar would be another of his weapons.

With his new weapons and powers Darth Vader moved to his starfighter which was still parked on the landing, and climbed in. He activated the fighter and rose from the landing, angling for the sky before shooting into space.


	4. Chapter 4

Anakin's yellow starfighter zipped towards the frigate ship, the ship he found with the scan. Yoda's signature was here, he could feel it weakly crawling on the Force. Darth Vader's craft would register as friendly but held a very unfriendly individual inside. Darth Vader waited for the exact moment he wanted to strike before firing on the Republic's last hope.

Green bolts whistled silently through empty space before exploding on the pearly white hull and ripping huge wounds into the ship. Fire shot in every direction before being extinguished immediately by the vacuum. Another set of blaster shots tore into the frigate and created enough wrecked space for Anakin to slow down and park his fighter precariously between the damaged ship and empty space.

Darth Vader then veiled himself in the Force, prepared to protect his body from the infinite blackness before opening the hatch of his cockpit and jumping out. He held one hand to his chest to support the field of protection and reached with the other toward the emergency airlock, which he opened with the Force, stepped inside, and then quickly shut behind him to preserve the frigate's pressure. The first person to see him board was Bail Organa, followed by two of his personal guards, their blasters drawn. If it had been droids or perhaps Sidious himself they would have fired. The sight of Anakin however, had them thoroughly confused.

"Anakin?" Bail questioned, recognizing Anakin but made slightly unsure by the burn damage that covered his body.

"Where is Yoda?" Anakin groaned, his head was bowed and his face shrouded.

"Not with us," Bail said, hoping to turn him away. Darth Vader's brow tightened. "Liar," he growled.

Vader flung his hands outward and the Force surged. His two sabers unhooked from his belt, activated, and flew to cut down the guards on either side of Senator Organa. The Senator stood still in shock as the guards dropped and the sabers returned to Anakin. The Sith Lord glared upward, finally looking at Bail with his corrupted eyes. Bail turned to run, hurriedly bending the corner to escape Anakin, who casually stalked after him. The Sith followed, turning the corner to see a hallway, at the end of which he saw the last of Bail slipping into a cargo room. Jedi Masters Luminara Unduli and Shaak Ti were also in the glossy white and black corridor, waiting.

Darth Vader had not made it one step down the hall when Luminara raised a hand and blasted him back into the far wall. Anakin groaned and was moving to stand when the masters activated a door with the Force, sealing off the hallway while another pair of Senate guards appeared to his right. Anakin stood upright and turned on his swords, quickly swinging one of his weapons to deflect blaster fire. This pair knew to attack rather than stand idly but fared no better. Anakin leaped forward and whipped his blades into the duo of servicemen, each of them clutching a burning slash in their chest before falling dead.

After dealing with them Anakin returned to the door that had been closed in his face and drove his lightsabers into it. Sparks sprayed from around the pair of laser swords, hot slag pouring down the metal door to form a glowing molten pool. Darth Vader carved a tall rectangle into the door, kicked in the middle section, and stepped through to see Shaak Ti; carroty skin contrasting starkly with her white-blue horns and head-tails, her woodsy robe and gown layered and draping to the polished floor. Luminara Unduli stood beside her, an indigo dress with hanging sleeves and matching headdress covering most of her pale green complexion.

"Luminara," Darth Vader droned. "Shaak Ti."

Master Unduli frowned, her tattooed lips curling with disgust. "Waste is all that I see in you, Skywalker. You've become a wretched disappointment."

"Your selfishness has ruined the galaxy. Now make a decision: return to the light or die," Shaak Ti spoke, a dire ultimatum echoing on plastiod walls.

Darth Vader's corrupted eyes smoldered. "Another example of the narrow-minded Jedi. I am making a better future," he said while gripping his weapons tighter. "...obviously without either of you."

Anakin's fiery eyes glared at the Jedi masters and then started forward, his burned, tattered robe flowing behind him. Shaak Ti and Luminara steeled themselves and activated their weapons; a blue and green saber respectively. Four sabers droned altogether for a moment before Anakin dashed forward to attack the Jedi who stood closest, Shaak Ti. From the very start he assaulted her fiercely; his dual sabers laying an offense so oppressive the Master had no choice but to yield ground to the Sith Lord. Luminara ran to Shaak Ti's aid and Darth Vader adjusted his tactics to attack her as well. He was a whirl of red-orange, his swords painting angry colors along the pristine walls. Luminara parried often and struck out occasionally while moving to the other side of Anakin to capitalize on the fact there was two Jedi and only one Sith.

His face was a mess of rage - rage which he used to fuel his power, keep Luminara away, and attack Shaak Ti. The Togruta reeled away from him and struggled to defend herself, even with Luminara's help. Finally Anakin's blood red saber cut into her left leg and she fell before being captured in the Force by Anakin and slammed into the wall. With Shaak Ti down for a moment, Darth Vader turned to pour his storm of attacks toward Luminara.

Clashes sparked erratically between her green lightsaber and his red and orange blades. Anakin stepped forward and pressed his weapons on hers, howling through the Force to further tax her defense. She wanted to cover her ears but could not do anything besides focus on keeping her saber between her and Anakin. Finally the Force howl did break her focus and caused such a distraction she missed a block and suffered a slash to her upper chest then to her thigh, two burning gashes smoldering in her violet dress as she fell backwards.

Anakin put his hand out and fired Force lightning on her and she cringed with torturous pain. The blistering blue arcs tore into her and arched around her dying form, striking the floor and walls. He upped the energy until it was difficult to see for all the flashing, lightning causing a strip of lights to fail and panels on the wall to explode. Bits of burned metal scattered about the floor as Master Unduli died, sparks and debris falling on her in the scarce patch of flickering darkness.

Anakin had to take his eyes from the satisfying sight of a dead Jedi to turn attention on Shaak Ti, who was already in motion, her blue saber swinging through the air at Darth Vader. He meet her blade with his, caught slightly off but not undone. However, Shaak Ti flattened him against the wall with the Force and they exchanged clashes equally until Anakin lunged brashly, angry and eager for another kill. He spun and aimed both of his blades at Shaak Ti's head. She spun also and took a hand from her weapon to seize Darth Vader's left arm. With one of his weapons immobilized, Shaak Ti deftly kicked the other blade from his hand while in the middle of the next attack. She immediately turned attention back to the arm she held and brought her saber to slice it through.

Darth Vader screamed and the blue lightsaber screeched while passing through the limb that held his orange saber, which Shaak Ti readily discarded in order to deal the death stroke. Her lightsaber carved the wall behind him mid-swing but never reached his neck before the Sith Lord lashed out with a Force push that flung Shaak Ti and crushed her into the wall across from him. The Togruta cried out while calling her weapon and getting to her feet, shattered white paneling falling from behind her. Before she could recover Darth Vader struck again, taking Shaak Ti with the Force and throwing her down the hall with all his rage.

The Force sent her crashing through the ship's window, shattering it and exposing the interior of the frigate to the vacuum of space. Anakin swore and quickly dove away from the window to buy more time as he was sucked down the hall along with Luminara's body, his severed hand and scattered bits of detritus left from the fighting. At that same time a piece of debris lodged into the track for the emergency seal. The emergency door deployed a few inches then became stuck while the viewport roared with escaping air and Anakin slid on the glossy white floor closer and closer to his utter demise.

With a foot to spare he pulled his lightsaber to his remaining hand, activated the blade, and stabbed into the floor. It stopped his slide just as Master Luminara's body was sucked outside the frigate. With his foot he stepped on his severed arm to keep it inside the ship then reached with the Force to dislodge the debris and allow the emergency door to slide into place. Finally the ship was sealed and Anakin laid uselessly on the floor for a few moments to collect himself. His arm shrieked with pain, his chest hurt, his eyes hurt, everything on him was either sweaty, burned, bloody, or some combination of those.

The pressure returned slowly to the ship and he eventually caught his breath enough to get up and continue his killing spree. He clipped one saber to his belt then retrieved his other weapon from the floor with the Force. After that he carefully pulled what remained of his left arm into his robe, letting it hang behind the sleeve and out of sight. It still hurt but it would not stop him from proceeding on his mission. Anakin reached with the Force, tearing out one door after another along the walls, discarding them in the hallway until reaching the cargo room Bail had retreated to. Anakin did not speak. He only stepped forward and swung his lightsaber first into Organa before stabbing into Mon Mothma. They dropped dead and Anakin exited before tearing off another door to find Yoda.

Grated light raked across the small and green Jedi Master, clothed in coarse tan robes. Yoda's elongated ears twitched when Anakin entered. The Grand Master sat cross legged and his tired eyes drifted open. However, Yoda did not turn to look at what Anakin had become; the Force said it all.

"Twisted, your mind is, Anakin," Yoda uttered. "Selfish, you have become. Hatred in you, I sense," the Grand Master riddled while probing Anakin with the Force. "Fitting of a Jedi, you are not."

"I am no longer a Jedi," Darth Vader declared, clenching his fist. The Force trembled. "The Jedi die with you."


	5. Chapter 5

Grand Master Yoda finally turned to look at Darth Vader. "Not if anything to say about it, I have." The old master's tired gaze drifted over to see the Sith Lord.

Anakin's eyes seethed with anger and pain; his clothing ragged and torn all over. Yoda stood and stretched out a quivering hand, drawing on what little power remained from his battle with Darth Sidious. Darth Vader raised his own hand toward the Jedi, a wicked scowl on his face. The Force tore between them, rippling and warping violently before releasing into a devastating rift. The blast flung Anakin backward into the wall, deafened and disoriented. He forced himself to stand through the pulsing in his head and the blurring of his sight, barely able to make out the crumpled form of Yoda on the floor. Anakin reached with his remaining hand as his vision cleared, squeezing with the Force before Yoda could react. He Force choked the Master mercilessly until he no longer drew breath, his miniature form toppling over lifelessly afterward. Anakin glared at the body, lingering in the cargo room for a long moment before he turned around and headed out into the hall. Lights flickered as Anakin traveled the hallway, stepped over smoldering debris, and ducked under sparking cables that hung from the ceiling.

"Artoo," he called before exiting the damaged corridor and returning to the adjacent one which was untouched by the fighting. The astromech whistled a reply while en route to meet its owner. Anakin gave a pained walk to the bridge and told R2-D2 to plug into the cruiser's navigation system. While the droid scanned Anakin accessed the ship's computer to send a call to his master. In a flash a flickering blue projection appeared before to which he bowed his head slightly.

"Lord Vader…" Emperor Palpatine seemed genuinely shocked. "What happened to you?

"I'm alright, Master," Anakin uttered while looking back up. "Nothing bacta and prosthesis won't take care of."

Darth Sidious noticed the hanging stump underneath Anakin's robe. "Your arm. Is Yoda responsible for that?"

"No, Yoda had no fight left," Darth Vader spoke, apparently disappointed. "It was Master Shaak Ti who took my arm."

Darth Sidious shifted, causing the projection to flicker. "Shaak Ti? Who else was with them?"

"Master Luminara, Bail Organa, Mon Mothma and their senate guards."

Darth Sidious smirked. "They are all dead, I expect."

"Of course, Master."

"And where were they headed?" the Emperor inquired.

Anakin glanced at Artoo, who promptly whistled what it had found in the navsystem. "Alderaan."

"Three Jedi and two senators fleeing to Alderaan in the last hour of the Republic," Palpatine pondered before continuing, speaking more to himself than his apprentice. "I'm sure they intended to be the seed of a greater movement against the Empire, the kindling hope of rebellion."

Darth Sidious returned his focus to Anakin. "Good work Lord Vader. Join me on my cruiser over Corusant for medical attention," he instructed. "There is also something I would like to show you."

Darth Vader nodded. "I will join you as soon as possible," he assured his master then turned to exit. The hologram faded behind him as he walked away and pulled up his hood, ignoring the bodies and debris strewn about the floor. Minutes later Darth Vader had stepped out of the airlock and boarded his ship along with Artoo, who inserted itself into the fighter just before it blasted away and left the broken, lifeless frigate to drift infinitely.

Anakin's fighter glided into the bay of an enormous, triangular starship. It appeared just as it while serving the Republic, however the burgundy and gold paint had been stripped, leaving nothing but naked grey metal underneath. The young Sith idled in the cockpit for a moment before opening the hatch and carefully dismounting. A clone came over to repair his fighter, stark white lights beamed down from the high ceiling of the hangar. Another clonetrooper ran to Darth Vader's side as the wounded Sith stumbled out of his vehicle.

"Right this way, General," the faceless soldier spoke. "Special preparations have been made for your arrival."

Darth Vader glared, shoving the clone away. "You were not instructed to speak, trooper."

"Yes, sir," the soldier nodded his helmet once and turned to walk away.

Darth Vader followed the clone to the medical wing, both his body and his clothes burned and scarred all over. His robe was a flowing rag of tatters, his hair was grungy, his tunic had been slashed at the chest, his boots were burned and melted from the sole up. His body and head ached, his arm throbbed, his legs groaned and his face bled. Finally they reached a treatment room and the trooper stopped.

"The tank has been tailored to your injuries as described by the Emperor," the clone informed. "He has also provided an assortment of clothing for you to choose from after-"

Darth Vader sneered at the trooper and turned his robotic hand, calling on the Force to collapse around the clone's chest. The thought of being tended to by a clone angered him immensely. The trooper writhed as the Force crushed the life from his body. Anakin was far too powerful to be in a situation such as this. As bones crushed and blood spilled from under the white plates of armor, Anakin decided he would never incur this much damage ever again, no matter what. For now, however he dropped the trooper in the puddle of blood and turned to enter the chamber. He pulled off the destroyed outfit he wore stepped into the bacta tank to be surrounded by regeneration.

Darth Vader awoke hours later to see bluish gel drain from his body, leaving none of the burns or scars that he had entered with. He stood on his own two feet feeling fresh and renewed, energized and powerful as he stepped out into the small, personal medical room. Along the wall there were lockers filled with many different styles of robes, armor and similar clothing. Anakin dressed his lower half before taking a seat so a droid could tend to his prosthetics. First the machine repaired the existing mechanical limb on Anakin's right arm. The droid replaced burned wires and scorched circuit boards before casing the forearm and hand in gloss-black armor. The robot limb for his left arm was constructed the same way and soon Darth Vader stood from the bench with two new menacing hands of polished onyx. Before he had worn a glove to conceal the fact that his hand was mechanized but now it was another element of his power, just like the scar on his face and the two reddish lightsabers he wielded.

Finally healed and repaired, Anakin moved finish dressing himself. A white outfit was his base, silvery buckles and chains adorning the ensemble which he covered with a traditional, full-black, Sith robe. Darth Vader took his ligthsabers from his previous belt and hooked them onto his new one before exiting the medical room, headed for the bridge of the destroyer.

Blast doors slid open and Darth Vader marched into the ship's control room, Red Guards on either side of the door. He proceed down the catwalk, plastoid boots thumping steadily on slate metal. Recessed pits fell on both sides of the catwalk, red consoles blinking in front of the technicians the operated them. Ahead of Darth Vader was a wide and tall viewport which overlooked Coruscant, bronzy spots of light glittering on the planet's surface. Emperor Palpatine stood still with his arms folded, watching and waiting. Darth Vader stopped beside his master and joined him in gazing upon the capital of the Inner Rim.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Lord Vader…" the Emperor spoke, staring out at the city-planet below. "Are you operational?"

"Absolutely."

"There is the Jedi Temple," Darth Sidious noticed, the temple now a patch of scorched rubble on the skyline. "Were there any survivors?"

"No." There was no way anyone escaped, Anakin was sure of it.

The Emperor was silent for a moment before giving a command to the navigator of the ship. Darth Vader watched as the destroyer angled away from Coruscant and stars blurred around the viewport. Whirl of blue was all he could see until the cruiser dropped out of hyperspace and resumed drifting slowly in space. An enormous, spherical shell hung in the blackness before him.

"Behold, Darth Vader, the future of the Empire," the Emperor marveled.

Anakin shrugged. "It looks like scrap."

"Do not be fooled, Vader," Palpatine said. "This battle station will be monumental, the first of it's caliber to ever exist."

"Really?"

The Emperor raised his head. "It will be the face of the Empire, even more recognized than you or I."

Darth Vader turned to his master. "What is it capable of?"

"Upon completion, fear will strike like a tirade across galaxy forcing all planets to either comply or face complete and utter destruction."

"Very good, my lord." Darth Vader nodded.

There was a moment of silence between them until an officer of the new Empire approached the Emperor with a hologram message. The Emperor dismissed the officer then resumed looking at the skeleton of the Death Star.

"I have business in the Outer Rim," Darth Sidious informed. "I trust you can oversee the Empire's affairs here until I return."

"Of course, Master." Darth Vader said with arms folded.

Emperor Palpatine turned and stalked off of the bride of his star destroyer, leaving Anakin at the head of the cruiser. He did not move from the viewport until sensing his master finally depart. Afterward Anakin's thought quickly returned the Padme and his children. The Outer Rim was across the galaxy, several days away. There was plenty of time available to Darth Vader. The forces of the Empire had already won most major systems and the greatest threat, the Jedi, was all but eradicated.

Darth Vader breathed in, staring at his reflection, sandy gold hair and scar over his right eye.

"Jump to Naboo."


End file.
